1/8/2024 Updated 12 hours ago|Source: ČTK, ČT24, ČHMÚ
Events: Storms in Vimpersk (source: ČT24)
There were strong storms and rain in Vimpersk, which washed away some of the cellars of the houses there. Kubova Huť station recorded 105.6 millimeters of precipitation per hour. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) warned against sudden flooding of smaller streams. South Bohemian firefighters sent their units to pump water from the basements of houses in the affected municipalities. On Thursday during the day, the ČHMÚ published a storm warning for the entire south-west of the Czech Republic. It can rain up to 80 liters per square meter and smaller hailstones can also occur. On Friday, there will be heavy rainfall in the north and northeast of Bohemia.
“Within a span of just a few minutes, we just sent units to the villages of Kůsov, Zdíkov, Vimperk, Korkusova Huť, Stachy and Horní Vltavice to pump water from cellars and houses. In Kubov Huti, we dispose of mud and debris washed up from the road,” they wrote on social network X South Bohemian firefighters. Their spokeswoman, Vendula Matějů, added that in other parts of the South Bohemian Region, similar problems associated with storms are not recorded.
After 20:00, the spokesperson of the railway firefighters informed about the flooded and mud-polluted track at Kubova Huť station. “The firemen are taking an excavator there,” he added. More trains are due to run through this railway station according to the GW Train Regio timetable on Friday morning.
“The maps show that for the area of southwestern Bohemia, the models calculate the most precipitation until 2 o’clock in the morning. Then the storms will move further east. And they will gradually weaken,” said CT meteorologist Alena Zárybnická before eight in the evening.
Thunderstorm Warning valid from 2 p.m. to midnight on Thursdays for the southwestern half of Bohemia, including Prague and most of the Central Bohemian region. There is a threat of very strong storms in the Karlovy Vary and Pilsen regions and in the western part of southern Bohemia. In the first half of the night, storms can also reach the Highlands.
In the south of Bohemia, storms can be accompanied by rain with totals of around 50 liters of water per square meter. In repeated storms, up to 80 liters can exceptionally fall. Flash floods are likely to occur in rugged terrain and after the soil has been saturated with water from previous rainfall, warns the ČHMÚ. There may also be smaller hail and wind that can uproot trees, cause power outages and traffic problems.
According to meteorologists, there is a risk of further heavy rainfall on Friday, especially in the Jizerské hory and Krkonoše mountains. Occasionally, 30 to 50 liters of water per square meter can rain there, and local flooding cannot be ruled out.
Temperatures will drop below 30 degrees
The Czech Republic will take a break from tropical temperatures for a few days. In southern Moravia, temperatures can still reach 32 degrees, but in the rest of the territory they should stay below the thirties, even if just barely. The highest temperatures on Friday will be around 25 degrees, with persistent rain they will stay below the twenty-degree mark.
On the weekend, the maximums will be higher, around 28 degrees. While on Saturday the sky should be partly clear and there will only be isolated showers, on Sunday it will be cloudy and showers are expected by meteorologists in most areas. It will clear up on Monday, and from Tuesday the temperatures should be tropical again.
Studio 6: What will the weather be like (source: ČT24)
Unusually warm July
This year’s July was above normal in terms of temperature. The average air temperature reached 19.8 degrees Celsius, which is 1.5 degrees more than the normal from 1991 to 2020. In terms of precipitation, the past month was normal, the CHMÚ reported. Meteorologists recorded the highest air temperature on July 10 in Strážnice and it was 36.1 degrees.
In July, an average of 71.4 millimeters of rain fell, and it rained more in Bohemia. “In the Czech Republic, an average of 79.6 millimeters fell, which corresponds to 90 percent of normal, in Moravia and Silesia it was 54.9 millimeters of precipitation, which corresponds to 60 percent of normal,” added ČHMÚ. On average, the sun shone for 241 hours in the Czech Republic in July.
Threatening drought
Despite the rain, there is still a risk that there will be little water. Hydroprognosticator Martin Pecha pointed out that the worst drought so far is in the north-west of Bohemia. But it is not enough and the drought will spread elsewhere due to inertia.
In 2014 and 2020, there was a lack of large amounts of precipitation and high temperatures. Now, a relatively short period of no rain and very warm weather is enough to start restoring the drought, Pecha added.
